How to Lower Your Risk of Measles

For a lot of individuals, developing measles is not a serious
matter. Sure they may have fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes and rashes for
a few days, but that’s it — measles tend to get better on its own. However, measles
can be a problem that’s serious for some people as it may lead to
complications.

Did you know that just because there’s a measles outbreak doesn’t
mean that everybody will have measles?

Some people do not develop measles because they are already immune
to it. In other words, their bodies have learned to fight off the virus
responsible for it. There are a couple of reasons why some are immune to
measles:

They had measles in the past

People who had measles when they were younger are immune to
measles for as long as they are breathing. Not really sure if you already had
measles when you were just a kid? Ask your parents or check out your medical
records.

They received two doses of the measles vaccine

The measles vaccine, also known as the MMR vaccine, is usually
given to children who are 12 to 13 months old. Before they enter school,
another dose is given. The MMR vaccine is almost 100 percent very good at
preventing measles.

Not really sure whether or not you are immune to measles? Then
take a look at the following things that you may do to have your risk of
getting it considerably lowered:

Get Vaccinated

It’s perfectly fine for you to get vaccinated especially if you
believe that you didn’t get two doses of the MMR vaccine when you were just a
child. According to health authorities, you should get both doses of the MMR
vaccine, separated from one another by not less than 28 days.

Unfortunately, pregnant women and those whose immune systems are
weakened or compromised are not good candidates for the MMR vaccine because of
the risks. However, they may ask their doctors about HNIG, which stands for
human normal immunoglobulin. HNIG gives immediate, although short-term,
protection against measles.

Put on a Surgical Mask

Just like what’s mentioned earlier, it can be very easy for the
measles virus to move from one person to the other, and that’s why measles can
easily spread.

In order to lower your risk of becoming infected, it is a good
idea for you to put on a surgical mask especially if you are living with
someone who has measles or you are outside your home and there’s a huge
possibility for some of the people you will be coming into contact with to be
suffering from measles.

Avoid Touching Your Face

Health authorities say that the measles virus can live outside the
human body for up to a couple of hours. This only means that it’s very much
possible for that doorknob, bus handrail or flush lever to be harboring the
measles virus if some of the droplets from the nose or mouth of an infected
person are sprayed on them after sneezing or coughing.

In order to keep the measles virus present on objects or surfaces
from attacking your body, refrain from touching your nose, mouth and eyes. This
is most especially true if you believe that your hands are dirty or
contaminated because of touching things that may be tainted with the measles
virus.

Wash Your Hands

You should definitely wash your hands with soap and water after
touching something that could be harboring the measles virus. Go for soap with
antimicrobial properties just to be safe. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention or CDC recommends for you to wash your hands for at least 20
seconds.

Fret not if you cannot wash your hands with soap and water all the time — all
you have to do is stash a small bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer in your
pocket or bag and use it as necessary.